Crime at Bedtime

On the morning of the 27th of May 1817, a 20 year old woman named Mary Ashford was found dead in a water-filled pit near the English village of Erdington. She had been at a dance the night before. She had been sexually assaulted before her death. The man last seen with her, a 24 year old named Abraham Thornton, was arrested and acquitted in a trial that would become one of the most controversial in British legal history. Exactly 157 years later, on the morning of the 27th of May 1974, in the same village, the body of another 20 year old woman was discovered. Her name was Barbara Forrest. She had been at a dance the night before. The prime suspect was named Thornton. He too was acquitted. Two unsolved murders. Two centuries apart. In the same English village. Coincidence, or something stranger. You decide.
Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here

Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube channel HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 17th of February 2014, a 14 year old British boy named Breck Bednar took a pre-paid taxi from his mother's home in Surrey and travelled 30 miles to a flat in Grays, Essex. He believed he was going to meet a friend from his online gaming group. A friend who was going to give him a tour of his computer business. A friend who had spent months earning his trust. By the next morning, Breck was dead. Stabbed through the neck by an 18 year old computer engineer named Lewis Daynes, who calmly phoned 999 to report what he had done. This is the story of one of the most disturbing online grooming cases in British criminal history. A loving mother who saw the warning signs. A police force that failed to act. And the chilling true crime case that prompted educational reforms and a foundation that continues to protect children today.
Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here

Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube channel HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

High on a hillside above the River Esk in Cumbria stands one of the oldest occupied houses in England. Muncaster Castle has been home to the Pennington family for over 800 years. A king once sheltered here after losing his throne. A cruel jester named Tom Fool once stalked its grounds. A young carpenter was beheaded in its stables. A housemaid was murdered on the road outside its main gate. And in a quiet room at the end of a first floor corridor, where dark tapestries hang from the walls and iron fire dogs shaped like devils' heads guard the fireplace, an academic named James Cartland heard something in 1988 that he would never be able to explain. The sound of a child crying. The soft voice of a woman singing. And the slow realisation that the room he was sleeping in had once been a nursery, where a little girl had died over a century before.
Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here

Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube channel HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the morning of 2 April 2025, a rainy day in Frisco, Texas, a routine high school track meet ended with a 17 year old boy bleeding out in his identical twin brother's arms. Austin Metcalf, an honour student and football star, had been stabbed once through the heart with a pocket knife. The young man who killed him, 17 year old Karmelo Anthony, ran across the bleachers and was arrested moments later. His first words to police were, "He put his hands on me. I told him not to." What followed was one of the most controversial criminal trials in recent American history. A bond reduction that sparked national protests. A crowdfunding campaign that raised over 633,000 dollars. Doxxing, swatting, and death threats aimed at both families. And ultimately, in June 2026, a verdict that gave Austin's grieving family the answer they had waited 14 months to hear.
Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here

Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube channel HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello legends, Jack here, host of Crime at Bedtime. I'm currently travelling to the US because my other show, One Minute Remaining, was lucky enough to be nominated for an award. I’ll be back very soon, but while I’m away, I’m diving into the vault to bring you some of my favourite and most terrifying Crime at Bedtime stories from the past three years.

Today is the final episode in our Episodes from the Vault series! I’ll be back next week with a brand-new story for you, but for this last vault episode, I had to go with a Mafia story.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with the Mafia. I’ve read many of the books, watched the movies and documentaries, and this story is just wild. It’s the story of the Lufthansa Heist and perfectly demonstrates why being in the Mafia can be a deadly occupation...

In December 1978, a crew of mobsters slipped into JFK Airport and pulled off the largest cash robbery in American history.

They stole nearly $6 million in unmarked bills and jewels from a Lufthansa vault — and vanished before sunrise.

Behind the job was Jimmy Burke, the real-life inspiration for Goodfellas’ Jimmy Conway.

But what should have been the perfect score quickly turned into a bloodbath as Burke began eliminating anyone who might talk.

This episode takes you inside the heist that shook New York — from the planning inside Robert’s Lounge to the FBI investigation and the chain of murders that followed.

A story of greed, loyalty, and how one night at the airport rewrote organised-crime history.

Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here

Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube channel HERE
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.